Canning exits Health Mart, nabs top marketing spot at Omnicare

By Rob Eder

SAN FRANCISCO — Drug Store News has learned that Tim Canning, president of McKesson’s Health Mart division, is leaving the company to take the position of SVP and chief marketing officer at Omnicare. The move is effective June 17.

“Tim has played an important role in advancing the success of McKesson’s retail independent pharmacy customers through his leadership of key solutions and programs, such as Health Mart,” noted a company representative.

According to a company statement, an active search for a new president of the Health Mart division currently is under way. “In the meantime, McKesson’s focus on empowering independent pharmacy remains stronger than ever, and the experienced Health Mart leadership team will continue to build on Health Mart’s momentum in the marketplace,” the company stated.

Canning — who was profiled in the Feb. 7, 2011, edition of Drug Store News as one of 10 Visionary Retailers — played a key role in the growth of McKesson’s Health Mart franchise, with full operational responsibility for the group, including the development and implementation of its long-term strategic plan. Under Canning’s watch, Health Mart has grown from about 260 stores to more than 2,800 today. According to the DSN PoweRx50 ranking of the top 50 pharmacy retailers in America, Health Mart ranked No. 8, with total sales of almost $7 billion.

Canning will join Omnicare, a leading provider of pharmaceutical services to elderly patients in long-term care facilities, chronic care and other settings, based in Covington, Ky., officially on June 27. Canning will oversee and lead the marketing function across Omnicare, and also will take full responsibility for the company’s retail pharmacy operations. He will report directly to Omnicare CEO John Figueroa.

In 2010, Omnicare made news when the company swapped its home infusion services business for Walgreens’ long-term care business. Later that year, Omnicare, strategically split its pharmacy services business into two divisions, a long-term care group and a specialty care group, in an effort to make its services more effective and more focused on its customers.

"Tim is a world-class executive who has successfully grown a number of healthcare brands through a passionate approach to meeting the customer's needs and an exceptional marketing aptitude," Figueroa said. "He will be a very important member of our executive team as we look to rebrand the company and create a unified message in the marketplace to better leverage our industry-leading platform."

In all, Canning spent nine years with McKesson in a variety of executive positions. Prior to McKesson, Canning served in an executive marketing role for Pharmacia Consumer Healthcare (now Pfizer Consumer Healthcare), as well as in brand management for several products in the Wyeth Consumer Healthcare portfolio (also now part of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare).